Page 74 of The House on Memory Lane

He glanced between their houses, then to his car, and finally back to her. He might not be big on words, but he wasn’t shy about looking at her. He didn’t seem shy at all, actually. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about his appraisal seemed like a power play.

She bristled. “Look, your landlord should have explained this, and I’m sorry, but my car is in—”

“I bought it.” His voice was quiet and calm, the opposite of his gaze. An unsettling combination.

“I’m sorry?”

“The house. I don’t have a landlord.”

“It wasn’t for sale. I’d have seen a sign.” It didn’t matter, but something made her want to argue the point just because.

“Private sale.”

“Well, okay, then your agent should have told you. It’s a shared drive. My car is in the garage, and I’ll need to—”

“My garage is full of junk.”

So? “I need—”

“I’m busy until the weekend, but I can clear it out on Saturday. Sorry about the inconvenience.” And with that, he turned to get into his car.

She knew she should let it go, but his quiet tone and half-listening had frayed her nerves. “You know, the interrupting is really rude.”

Paul let his lips twitch slightly before he turned to face his feisty neighbour. He hadn’t meant to be rude, but he could see how she’d interpret his words that way. “That wasn’t my intention, I apologize.” He leaned back against his car. He had a few minutes before he had to leave, and this might be fun. “I’m out of practice on being neighbourly.”

She relaxed and slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, streaking dirt across her left hip. A curvy, round hip he had no business noticing, but she was right in front of him. With him slouched back against the car, they were almost the same height. He liked that she was tall. Too bad he wasn’t interested in dating, or any other recreational activities, because there was a lot to like about this woman. Her sass, for one. Yeah, he really liked that. He grinned, and she rewarded him with a smile that bordered on sheepish.

“I’m sorry, too. You’re obviously on your way somewhere, and I’ve just tossed this information at you.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got a minute. Why hasn’t this come up before?” He knew that she walked or biked to work, although he hadn’t figured out where that was. In a few more weeks, he’d probably know a lot more about her, and most of the other citizens of Wardham, but right now he was still commuting to the city.

“I don’t drive much in the winter.”

That explained the bicycle. Maybe she wasn’t comfortable in the snow. “Do you have people who can pick you up when it’s really cold?”

“What?” She wrinkled her brow, which was really cute, even for someone who was afraid of driving. Paul didn’t usually have time for that kind of weakness, but he’d probably make an exception for his new neighbour. When a look of horror crossed her face, he realized belatedly that he probably wasn’t going to get a chance to offer his assistance. “You think I’m afraid of snow? Or driving in general?”

Instead of being offended, she burst out in a beautiful peal of laughter that expanded until it encompassed him and he was chuckling along with her. “No? That’s not...?”

“No.” She smiled and leaned forward, as if to share a conspiratorial secret. “I drive a Camaro. It’s my baby, and I have snow tires, but really, it’s not built for winter driving.”

Oh crap. Paul could see an entirely different encounter in their near future. Instead of offering to help with her errands, he was going to be writing her speeding tickets. “It’s not?”

“Of course not. Some people love that thrill, rear-wheel drive, you know, but I’m all about the straight up speed. Dry road, warm summer day.”

Damn. “Listen, Karen...”

“Yeah?” Her smile was wide and happy, and about to disappear.

“I need to finish introducing myself.”

“Why? What are you, a cop or something?”

“Yes.”

She blinked once, and twice, then her eyes got big and round and her hand slapped over her mouth. “Oh shit!”

He was about to apologize, for what he wasn’t sure, when she started laughing again. He was quickly figuring out that she did that a lot. He liked it. Which was as good a reason as any to make his goodbyes and escape.

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